A call for organ donors to be permanently honoured at the new hospital with a public memorial has been backed by the government.
Ministers yesterday confirmed their support for a proposition by Deputy Lucy Stephenson to create a public tribute to those who have saved or transformed lives through organ donation.
The memorial would be delivered through the Percentage for Art scheme at the new Acute Hospital at Overdale, and designed as part of its wider Therapeutic Arts Strategy.
In comments published this week, Health Minister Tom Binet said: “Ministers recognise that organ and tissue donation saves and transforms lives.
“In Jersey, both deceased and living donors, along with their families, have made an extraordinary contribution to the health and wellbeing of others.”
If approved by politicians later this month, Deputy Binet said the memorial would be designed to be “impactful and respectful, without being intrusive or distressing for current patients who may be facing life-changing or life-threatening conditions.”
The project would be led by the hospital programme’s Arts Advisor, who has experience developing similar memorials – including at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London – and will work closely with key stakeholders to shape the final design.
Deputy Stephenson, who brought the proposal forward, said that organ donation memorials are a way to give thanks to donors, promote the value of donation, and encourage “healthy conversation around personal wishes after death”.